For students devastated by the Presidential elections results, they experienced even more stress when they accessed the MyIWU platform on the morning of Nov. 6 and found a disturbing post by an IWU staff member to the ‘All Campus’ thread.
This post, sent from an employee of the IWU Registrar’s Office, was automatically removed due to reports of hate speech within 10 minutes.
In this announcement, the offender provided a partisan reflection about the results of the 2024 Presidential election. The morning of Nov. 6, Donald Trump was declared the winner of the Presidential election, with Vice President Kamala Harris losing the popular and electoral vote.
Students, faculty and staff who have opted in to email notifications received the announcement before it was erased from the MyIWU platform. Technical Support confirmed that the IWU account was not hacked.
The employee said the Democratic loss was due to Vice President Harris’ lack of experience and accomplishments. They also critiqued the Harris-Walz campaign on their strategy.
They said, “She and her people assumed that she would be elected because she is a woman and a person of color–can’t use that because we are all persons of color–nobody is transparent or clear; we are all different shades of the same skin.”
The Office of the President, Deans, Student Involvement and Communications said in a joint statement, “as a University, we support opportunities for community members to participate in the intellectual life of our campus and to engage with different viewpoints respectfully.”
“However, there are appropriate platforms for civil discourse that are available on our campus, and the ‘All Campus’ group is not the forum for sharing personal opinions,” Director of Communications Ann Aubry said on behalf of Administration.
Aubry said, “Prior to Wednesday’s post, no posts to the group were moderated. We expect members of our community to act in good faith.”
In wake of students’ reactions, Administration has implemented moderators from the Deans of Student Involvement and the Office of Communications.
All users of the MyIWU platform must accept the usage policy prior to their first use of the portal, and the policy includes compliance with the Student Code of Conduct, Faculty, Exempt Staff and Non-Exempt Staff Handbooks.
Senior Chrishana Simon said the announcement reflected poorly on IWU as a whole.
“The decision to publish the essay, especially in such a public platform like our school app, raises troubling questions about the values being upheld within our academic community,” she said. “It is clear that such statements do not foster a supportive environment for marginalized individuals.”
Senior Connie Kim also expressed their disenfranchisement about IWU’s environment.
“Until I and everyone else of racial minorities in this country feel safe and comfortable enough to exist in their own skin without needing to conform, you cannot claim we are all on the same playing field,” Kim said of the offender’s comment about race.
The same staff member previously posted in the ‘All Campus’ forum on Nov. 4, asking students to provide their opinions on the Republican and Democratic candidates.
They asked, “With the elections tomorrow, can you list to an undecided voter who the better candidate is?”
In an effort to revisit this question, the staff member posted the post-election announcement to state their personal views on the election results.
“Trump is not perfect and nowhere near so,” they said. “Did he do everything right during his first term? No, but he admitted that and would have done things differently.”
They said Harris has done nothing right in her office as Vice President.
Kim said they were hurt by the way the staff member alienated a portion of the student body.
“They addressed us in a demeaning tone as if we are stupid to ever think Harris could win,” they said.
On Thursday, Nov. 7, the moderators posted to the ‘All Campus’ forum reminding the campus community of the MyIWU usage policy.
Simon said, “The situation exemplifies the complex and often painful dynamics within academic spaces, particularly for those of us navigating the realities of systemic racism.”
She added, “I extend my thoughts to all Black women and others who may have been swayed by such harmful ideologies. It is my hope that they find healing and clarity.”
Administration said the matter is being addressed by the Office of Human Resources.
“While I am deeply disappointed by this turn of events, it does not come as a surprise. It serves as a reminder of the critical work that remains in advocating for genuine equity and support within our institutions,” Simon said.